Keyline design predates Permaculture One. It was introduced by P A Yeomans as a means of dryland farming in Australia. It's a somewhat similar concept to the Inca system described here. Basically trenches are run horizontally with a very slight slope from a 'keypoint' where water enters a topography. This slowly distributes water throughout the land, producing fertile and moist regions between the lines.

This in turn is predated by decades of contour plowing, and thousands of years of terrace farming.